Latrobe’s Green rising among best in USA track
A terrific runner at Latrobe High School, Hanna Green simply hoped to have a good college career before joining the workforce, possibly as an interior designer.
“Coming out of high school, I never imagined I’d be a professional runner,” Green said.
But there Green stood Sunday, celebrating the biggest moment of her young pro career, showing that she is one of the elite track and field athletes in the United States.
Get used to hearing the name Hanna Green. This fall, she’ll run against the world’s best. And this time next year, she could be in Tokyo competing in the Olympics.
Green, 24, was silver Sunday, running a career- best time to place second in the 800- meter run at the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. In doing so, Green qualified for the IAAF World Championships Sept. 28Oct. 6 in Doha, Qatar. She’ll become the first Western Pa. native to run in the World Championships since Rochester’s Lauryn Williams in 2009.
“I’ve always wanted to make the Olympics. I’ve always dreamed of having the USA on my chest and to represent the country on the world scale. It’s actually a possibility. I could definitely be going to Tokyo. But this year, it’s not just about making worlds. I want to make the final and I want to do well in that race,” said Green, a 2013 Latrobe graduate.
Green, who said she usually has some difficulty getting off the line, fell behind early and was fifth among the eight runners at the halfway point. Knowing that she had to place in the top three to qualify for the World Championships, Green began to press.
“I probably panicked a little, especially after the first 400 [ meters] going into 500. I knew I had to move to get out of the pack before I hit the last 200,” she said.
Green was successful, moving into the top three in the final 200 and whizzing past eventual third- place finisher Raevyn Rogers, who had been a thorn in Green’s side during their college days. Green finished in 1 minute, 58.19 seconds. Ajee Wilson, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics, finished first in 1: 57.72, while Rogers placed third in 1: 58.84.
Twenty- four hours later, Green was finally getting done responding to the barrage of congratulatory text messages and voicemails that had lit up her cell phone. It’s something that comes along with running the race of your life, one that was shown live in prime time on NBC.
Just six years ago, Green capped an outstanding high school career by winning her third WPIAL individual gold medal. She won the Class 3A 800 her sophomore year and the 400 her junior and senior years.
At Virginia Tech, Green won six ACC titles and finished second in the 800 at the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships her senior year in 2017, losing to Rogers ( Oregon) both times.
Green now calls Eugene, Ore., home. She moved to Eugene when she turned pro in the fall of 2017. There she trains with Oregon Track Club Elite. Green and the club are sponsored by Nike.
“It’s been good,” Green said of her early experiences as a pro runner. “It’s nice to be around other professionals. I think seeing them and watching what they do and listening to their experiences has helped me a lot.”
If you’re a professional track and field athlete, one of the biggest goals is to compete regularly in Diamond League events. There are 14 this year held all around the world. The problem is, it’s not easy being selected. There are a lot of world- class athletes, but so few spots.
“Getting in is so hard as an American because there are so many good Americans, and they can only take a couple,” said Green.
At long last, Green finally got an opportunity to run in one when she competed in the Prefontaine Classic at Stanford University in late June. It’s the only Diamond League meet held in the United States. That turned into a breakthrough race for Green, who went sub- two minutes ( 1: 58.75) for the first time in her career and finished fourth. The race included reigning Olympic champion Caster Semenya of South Africa.
“I think that race gave me the confidence going into USA’s,” she said. “It let me know that I could compete with these girls. Before then, I was competing, but I hadn’t run a sub- two. It’s something I knew I could do, and it felt so good doing it.”
Green enjoyed it so much that she did it again at Nationals, which will likely open the door for her to compete in more Diamond League races. In addition, she’ll represent the United States in international events twice in the upcoming months. First up is the USA vs. Europe match Sept 9- 10 in Belarus. She’ll then get her first chance to become a world champion in Qatar.
“It’s super exciting and it means a lot,” Green said. “Going into an Olympic year, this gives me a lot of confidence.”